Not only have I not done a baking post in forever, it has been ages since I last did any baking in general let alone try anything new. My work/life balance hasn’t been in my favour when it comes to getting time in the kitchen, so when myprotein got in touch I was determined to take advantage of the chance to try out some new ingredients.

Protein has become a bit of a buzz word in the baking world with it cropping up in all manner of recipes. It’s perfect as high energy boost for those with an active lifestyle and surprisingly makes for a versatile ingredient. I was sent a package of goodies which included coconut oil, a muffin mix, a pancake mix, a bag of whey powder and a bag of buckwheat flour. I wasn’t quite sure where to start but in the end I stayed semi-close to what I knew and went for the protein muffin mix for my first foray.

The mix I had was the 200g unflavoured pouch which yields enough to make 8 muffins, although I made mine smaller and got 12 from the mixture. To the powder I added 200ml milk, 4 tbsp coconut oil (something I had read ALL about yet never used), 3 tbsp cocoa powder and a bag of white chocolate chunks- not brilliant for a health food and I could have gone all out with fruit and nuts but a girl needs her chocolate fix from time to time (or all the time!). If you didn’t want or need 8/12 muffins you could just use half of the mixture as the pouch seals up easily to keep the mix fresh.

After a quick mix up in a bowl the muffins took only 12 minutes in the oven at 190*c before they were ready to go. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, and mine were a little burnt on top thanks to our temperamental oven but these came out so soft and fluffy inside with a lovely texture. I won’t lie, you can taste that there is something “different” about these but if you are already used to protein enriched products you probably won’t notice it and I certainly had no issue with it- neither did the other people in and around the house who I asked to sample these, they aren’t an every day snack, but if you know you’ve got a jam packed few days coming up or have some lovely long hikes/cycles/runs coming up with Spring sunshine then these would make a perfect portable snack or recovery food once home.

For me they are a quick and easy way to get some calories and nutrition in, and whilst it’s an expensive way to bake I can see myself purchasing a mix or two every now and again just to keep in.

Stay tuned for the next instalment in my baking adventures; which ingredient would you like to see me use next and do you have any recipe suggestions?

Have you ever tried baking with protein powders and mixes? How did you find it?